Staff Profile

Career Summary

Biography

Since earning my PhD in 2002, I have focussed on applying mathematical modelling techniques to the understanding of higher-order cognitive processes (mostly memory and decision-making). I spent four years as an Assistant Professor at UC Irvine, and then took up a position at the University of Newcastle. I have been supported in research-only positions by the Australian Research Council from 2008-2016 (a Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship, then a Future Fellowship). I share a lab with a strong group of math-psych researchers - see http://newcl.org/brown for details.

Qualifications

PhD (Psychology), University of Newcastle, 02/05/2003

Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology), University of Newcastle, 02/05/2003

Bachelor of Science, University of Newcastle, 01/05/1998

Bachelor of Mathematics, University of Newcastle, 01/05/1998

Research

Research keywords

cognition

mathematical psychology

memory

quantitative modelling

Research expertise

Since earning my PhD in 2002, I have focussed on applying mathematical modelling techniques to the understanding of higher-order cognitive processes (mostly memory and decision-making). In that time, I have co-authored over 20 papers in international journals, and have another four under review. My work can be loosely divided into the products of several collaborations. In one, I work with Associate Professor Mark Steyvers (UCalifornia, Irvine) and with Dr. Eric-Jan Wagenmakers (UAmsterdam). This is the work on which the current proposal is partially based. We have developed generative Bayesian models as well as simple psychological process models of cognitive dynamics in tasks requiring change detection. The research with Steyvers was supported by a USD$380,000 grant from the US Air Force between 2004-2007 (FA9550-04-1-0317).

Since my PhD I have continuously collaborated with Associate Professor Andrew Heathcote (UNewcastle), as well as Professor Emeritus Tony Marley (University of Victoria, Canada) on two research strands. Firstly, Heathcote and I have published around ten articles on the topics of estimating RT distributions and curve fitting. This methodological knowledge has formed an important contribution to the field, and informs many of the experiments and analyses proposed herein (e.g. th use of individual-subject model analyses only). Secondly, Heathcote and I have co-authored four papers in major international journals on the development of mathematical models of decision-making, culminating in the recent development of a ballistic accumulator model of RT. This model represents a substantial advance on the previous 40 years of RT research, which have focussed exclusively stochastic accumulation. The new model is currently used as the core for a new model of absolute identification, which we are developing in collaboration with Marley this modelling work is currently in the review process at Psychological Review.

Finally, I have collaborated separately with several groups, to provide statistical, mathematical and computational expertise. These collaborations include several international researchers prominent in their fields (Roger Ratcliff, Ohio State U; Jane Taylor, Yale; Philip Smith, Melbourne; Karen Francis, U San Francisco).

Awards

Research Award.

2008

New Investigator AwardSociety for Mathematical Psychology (United States)I won the New Investigator Award for the (international) Math-Psych society. The award is quite prestigious, past winners have generally impressive career trajectories at prestigious international institutions.

Invitations

Administrative

Administrative expertise

I have actively shared the load of campus administration at UC Irvine and at Newcastle. At Irvine, I served three years on a campus-wide committee (Undergraduate Admissions) and six months as the Irvine representative on the corresponding California-wide board. I also served on many promotion and tenure case committees, as well as helping to oversee the honours program.

Even though I have been at Newcastle for only six months, I am already actively involved in course co-ordination (PSYC 2000 and 4815B) and in long-range planning of the statistics curriculum.

Teaching

Teaching keywords

cognition

memory

modelling

statistics

Teaching expertise

At both UC Irvine and UNewcastle, have taught the advanced statistics and experimental methodology sequence. In both locations, I have received very high student review ratings (and a faculty award for excellence in teaching while at UCI). I re-developed the curriculum to a large extent while at UCI, and at Newcastle I am currently working with the statistics faculty to improve delivery of statistical knowledge to Psychology majors.

Apart from statistics teaching, I have taught cognition classes from first year to graduate level, including some advanced cognitive modelling seminar classes. I have also supervised graduate students at both universities (one has already graduated). In addition, I have supervised numerous honours theses and independent research projects for undergraduate students. Two undergraduate research projects have even produced work that ultimately appeared in high profile international journals (C. Lehmann for task switching, P. Hemmer for change detection).